The insight and opinions of two life-long video gamers who refuse to take themselves, or each other, seriously.

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Dot Arcade and the ESRB: If You’re Younger Than Ten, Please Don’t Look at Drawings of Women

So today, I went on the WiiU eshop looking to see what was up with the new Virtual Console games, and a game called Dot Arcade caught my eye. Check out the trailer on Nintendo’s official website, along with screenshots and some other info here.

I curiously watched the trailer. It began, as all trailers do, with the local video game ratings board’s rating. The ESRB gave Dot Arcade a rating of E10+ for “Suggestive themes.” I didn’t think anything of it, as I see tons of trailers and almost always disregard anything the ESRB says about it. “Huh,” I thought, watching the trailer, “interesting idea for a game.” And when I was done watching, my mind drifted back to the ESRB rating. Suggestive themes? What?

The ESRB defines suggestive themes as “mild provocative references or materials.” The game is called Dot Arcade because it’s just dots. What’s suggestive about dots?

Okay, I’m exaggerating slightly. The game also features two side bar boarders to not only compensate for a difference in resolution, but also to create an arcade cabinet feel. They feature the characters from the header image.

The boarders for Mr. Snake seem tame enough, a knight riding a snake, some fireballs and fantasy elements.

This is what Dodge Club looks like:

Hmmm… I don’t know if this is really suggestive… This girl actually seems very much covered, besides her shoulders and arms, but I would not describe the scene as provocative or suggestive. Let’s look at Rally Driver.

Okay, sure. This girl is showing a bit more skin, and is more buxom than the previous one. I might see how someone with a more conservative view might consider this suggestive. However, from the trailer, I think it’s safe to say I’ve seen almost all there is to see in this simple game.

Three pictures, and dots. And I don’t think any of them, not even our rally girl, are really very suggestive at all. Yet, the ESRB says that if you’re not yet ten years of age, your parents probably shouldn’t let you play this game. Interesting.

2 thoughts on “Dot Arcade and the ESRB: If You’re Younger Than Ten, Please Don’t Look at Drawings of Women”

Our entire modern society has deteriorated morally and has been desensitised to what is Godly. Man is obliviously heading down the path of destruction due to the absence of the love of God and his laws. Not very long ago the dance moves of Elvis Presley were considered very immoral where today they seem tame. Man should return to moral living but the fact is that only those who have moral hearts will do this, the rest will go their own way and make their own laws and laugh at those who choose to go God’s way to their own destruction on the day of judgement.

Ok so you agreed that the second picture is suggestive, the first Dodge Club picture shows an apparent young girl strongly outlining here boobs with a very short skirt and with a pose which is proud, boyish and overly self confident where the Bible states women should have a gentle and quiet spirit and should dress decently and modestly.

Re-sensities your morals and standards and you may see clearer what is right and wrong. To be able to see a garbage tip for the horrible place it is you must stop living in it and live in a nice house with a nice garden – if that makes sense.

Besides all of the religious propaganda you’re toting around, things that you have said, namely, “the first Dodge Club picture shows an apparent young girl strongly outlining here boobs with a very short skirt and with a pose which is proud, boyish and overly self confident where the Bible states women should have a gentle and quiet spirit and should dress decently and modestly.” is highly offensive to women. You have absolutely no right to tell any woman to behave in that way, let alone any other way.

If you truly think that women should be completely submissive to men, and to not be self-confident, or be anything but quiet and modest, then you have a lot to learn about just… being a good dude. For someone touting how “our entire modern society has deteriorated morally” you sure as shit don’t seem two give to fucks about half of that society. (The women, in case you forgot.)

I feel sorry for any woman forced to know someone so misogynistic and bigoted as you.